


Both Sides Now

by monkiainen



Category: Bones (TV), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, First Time, Murder, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-27
Updated: 2014-04-27
Packaged: 2018-01-20 23:57:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1530482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monkiainen/pseuds/monkiainen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Star Trek!Bones AU. When Special Officer Booth and Science Officer Brennan of USS. Mayflower are sent to examine a murder in a mysterious planet, things don't really go as planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Both Sides Now

**Author's Note:**

> Ahem. I originally started writing this fic for the [ bones_bigbang](http://bones-bigbang.livejournal.com) back in... 2009? but I never finished it then. Well, I was going throuhg my WIP folder and came across this... and... well, now it's finally finished! My first ever het sex scene, and... I'm not so sure about it. Why it is so much easier to write gay sex?

**_Stardate 2387.9, USS Mayflower_ **

It had started like any other day in space: waking up to the sound of chronometer, having breakfast, meeting other crew members at the mess. Booth should have known it was too good to be true.

“Bridge to Special Officer Booth, please report to the bridge immediately.”

Booth groaned. A call to the bridge right before the start of Gamma shift couldn't mean anything but bad news.

* * *

"Captain Pine."

"Special Officer Booth. There has been a murder in Ceti Alpha III."

Booth frowned, surprised. Ceti Alpha III was supposed to be a class M planet, with no signs of life. How could there be a murder?

"I am sure you are aware of the fact the Ceti Alpha III has no recorded life forms. However, the landing party from the USS Enterprise found a body there while charting the northern pole of the planet and informed us immediately. We will be in the planet orbit in one hour, and I want you to be prepared to beam down to the surface along with Dr. Brennan and, if necessary, her team."

Oh. Yet another mysterious murder he had to solve with Bones. It could not be that bad, now could it? It was not like they had not solved dozens of murders before, and let's face it, he and Bones made a pretty darn good team if he might say so. True, they might not always see eye to eye on details, but the point was when you wanted to solve an unsolvable murder, that was when you called Booth and Bones in.

“I will be in my quarters sir, to get prepared. Did the landing team of the Enterprise find anything else of suspicious matter?”, Booth asked, already preparing mentally for the task in hand.

“The First Officer of Enterprise, Mr. Spock, has gladly promised to surrender his report for further information. I believe their Chief Medical Officer, Dr. McCoy, did a preliminary examination for the body and his notes will be attached as well along with the body”, Captain Pine replied, knowing that if not Booth then Dr. Brennan would surely appreciate the reports. Whatever it was that they said about Mr. Spock, no one could accuse him for being sloppy or non-scientific. Even if the half-Vulcan was rumoured to be sleeping with the famous Captain James. T Kirk.

“Thank you Captain. Now, if you excuse me..”

“Go on Booth, dismissed.”

So maybe getting called to the bridge before the start of the Gamma shift was not that bad at all.

* * *

After packing his gears and changing into a work uniform, Booth decided it was time to make a stop at the Anthropological Section and see what Bones had discovered from the notes supplied by the Enterprise.

"Ready to roll with it, Bones?", Booth grinned, the thrill of anticipation already creeping on his bones. There was so little they knew about Ceti Alpha III, but what they knew was that once it had been a glorious civilisation, filled with tall buildings and magnificent temples. For some unknown reason all the signs of culture had been destroyed, leaving all but ruins behind. Booth loved missions like these, loved the feeling of facing the unknown, the possibility to seek out new civilisations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. Bones, always so collected, merely shrugged and checked that she had all the needed equipment in hand before leaving. Sure, it was possible to beam equipment down if needed, but Brennan preferred having all her instruments in hand.

"Mr. Edison, please go through the notes from Dr. McCoy while we are on the planet surface. There might be some clues on to what we are looking for", Brennan ordered before grabbing her gear and starting her way towards the transporter room.

* * *

"Dr. Brennan, Special Officer Booth. I trust you have read the reports while preparing for the mission?"

"Yes Captain. I find the writings of Mr. Spock very elaborate and scientific, it's all very specific. I can not but appreciate such a devoted scientist in his accuracy - I would be most delighted to meet such a brilliant mind", Brennan exclaimed, clearly excited. Booth chuckled to himself - it was no wonder Bones wanted to meet the mysterious Spock as the man was said to be a genius. An emotionless one, they say, but the same thing had been said about Brennan as well. She might have been a bit antisocial, but emotionless - not if Booth was asked. On the contrary, if the "incident" two months ago was any indication - passionate would be a more appropriate word for that. If only Brennan would talk about it instead of clamping up.

"Well then, are you ready to go? We are on the planet orbit and ready to proceed." 

"We are ready, just beam us down."

* * *

The first impression of Ceti Alpha III was exactly what the reports told about the planet: deserted, bland, filled with ruins.

"The place where the body was discovered should be that way. I'll have the coordinates sent to your tricorder as well", Brennan said, her mind already in the task ahead. The faster they got to the scene, the greater chances they had to collect all the crucial evidence before it was compromised. Maybe this time there wouldn't be any... unexpected consequences.

Brennan briefly wondered what were Booth's thoughts about their last case. They were alarmed to Piela, the second biggest planet it the Yitron system, to investigate a series of murders that seemed to be completely random. Once in Piela, Booth and Brennan had discovered that the planet was ruled by a dictator called Rokua, a brutal man who wanted his planet to be "pure" and had ordered his men to kill all the unwanted population - someone in the rebel organisation had managed to call for help, hoping that someone would hear their calls. Most of his victims had been children of various ages as Rokua had believed children were useless in the dream society he wanted to achieve. The images of the mutilated children had haunted Brennan to her dreams long afterwards - strangely so, as usually she was able to separate her work from her personal life. Maybe it was because Booth was even more distressed than she was - all he could think of was Parker, and how most of the little bodies were around his age. Then one night, after the stress had become too much for him to handle (and for her as well, although she would never admit it), things had escalated out of hand.

* * *

_"Can I come in?"_

_Booth lifted his eyes from the glass of scotch he was currently nursing, meeting the worried eyes of Bones staring back at him._

_"Be my guest. Want some?" Booth slurred, waving the half-empty bottle in his hands._

_Brennan hesitated for a moment. Usually she didn't encourage drinking aboard Starfleet ships. Usually. But now was not the time to preach about Starfleet regulations or whatnots - Booth was her best friend, and even if drinking did not take his pain away completely, Brennan could allow it if it made Booth feel better. It hurt Brennan to see Booth in pain, even if she could not express her feelings verbally. Brennan knew Booth understood this and let her have her own ways - a fact Brennan was grateful about as it meant she did not have to pretend to be someone else she was not, someone who could express their feelings more freely than she ever could hope for. In times like these Brennan desperately wished she could be more like others, more expressive about her feelings, so she could tell Booth that she also felt the way he was feeling. But no, she could not just say these things aloud without feeling lost or incompetent or both. The story of her life - and a sure way to alienate any potential boyfriend candidates. But for Booth she could make an exception, she could. With the only way she could. Slowly, almost predatory, Brennan moved from the door and sat on Booth's lap._

_"What are you doing?"_

_"Shh.. let me handle this Seeley, please", Brennan begged, gently removing the bottle Booth was still holding and dropping it to the floor._

_"Hey, that's pretty expensive stuff ther.. omph.." Booth's next words were cut abruptly when Brennan lunged forward and crushed her lips into a searing kiss. It started tentatively at first, both of them exploring each other's mouths like an animal explores unknown territories. Soon Booth took the lead, probing Brennan's full lips with his tongue, seeking for entrance. Brennan was more than happy to oblige, sucking Booth's tongue into her mouth, nibbling it. Booth growled low in his throat, a sound that had Brennan whimpering silently, wanting for more._

_"Is this what you were looking for, **Temperance**? Do you want more, hmph?", Booth whispered in Brennan's ear, carefully nibbling the sensitive earlobe._

_"Yes, please..", Brennan heard someone say, not even realising at first it was her own voice saying those words. For a moment they just stared at each other, looking for signs of hesitation from each other. None were found, and in a fleeting moment Booth had lifted Brennan up and thrown her unceremoniously to the bed._

_"How do you want me to do it, Tempe?" Booth growled again, his fingers busy opening the Starfleet uniform Brennan was wearing._

_"Just fuck me like there is no tomorrow Seeley, just fuck me till I can't feel but your dick moving inside me, exploding, making me feel alive", Brennan growled, surprised by the harsh words that seemed to pour out from her mouth as if someone else was feeding them to her mind. She did not, she could not feel like this, not this brutally and animal..._

_"Shh.. you think too much, Tempe. Just let it go and let me take care of you, of us. We both need this, whether you want to admit it or not", Booth whispered, slowly stroking Brennan's soft hair._

_And so Brennan surrendered completely, letting Booth to take the lead for the most part. Brennan didn’t want to think about the morning after, not now when she felt so alive for the first time in her life, all her senses on overdrive, feeling more than she had thought was possible to feel without exploding to millions of tiny pieces. Booth had somewhere along the way removed her uniform and was now caressing her breasts through the thin fabric of her non-regulated bras - all black lace and satin. Brennan had never anticipated the feeling of callused hands on her body could feel so intoxicating, but now that Booth was touching her everywhere but **there** Brennan could not get enough of it. She could not just lay there, doing nothing in return, she had to do all she possibly could to make Booth understand how much **this** \- whatever it was - meant to her. Brennan reached out to remove Booth's uniform - it seemed highly illogical for Booth to still wear his uniform when Brennan had nothing but her panties on - her discarded bra was somewhere on the floor where Booth had carelessly tossed them without her really paying attention to it, not that it really mattered. After removing Booth's shirt, Brennan had to stop for a while, just to admire the view presented to her. Sure, she had seen Booth shirtless before on various occasions, but not in this context. Strong arms, broad shoulders, clearly defined muscles, hairless chest, dark and perky nipples waiting for her attention - Booth was a classic example of an alpha male, straight from her anthropological textbooks._ 'He's probably very fertile', _Brennan wondered briefly, letting her gaze rest to the considerable bulge straining Booth's trousers. "Is that your phaser or are you just happy to see me like this, Seeley, all wet and ready for you?", Brennan inhaled, shaking with want and need and something she couldn't name. Booth was too busy to remove his pants to reply, his moves frantic and usually steady hands shaking, albeit slightly._

_Brennan could not help but stare once Booth had removed his trousers - she had heard certain rumours, but the reality was more than she could have ever imagined. Booth had the most beautiful cock she had ever seen – long and thick, his erection standing proudly, surrounded by his dark pubic curls._

_"Like what you see, Tempe?", Booth drawled, words dropping out from his full lips like salvation to a needy soul. Brennan did not trust her lips to form words anymore - instead she let her hands to do the talking and pulled Booth closer, so close that the tip of his already leaking cock almost (but not quite) touched her wet entrance._

_"Fuck. Me. Now." The words seemed to pour from her without her actually saying them, because Dr. Temperance Brennan did not curse, or demanded her best male friend to have sex with her, no matter how distressed and in need for relief they both were. Before Brennan could analyse the situation more, Booth was already inside her, the throbbing pulse of his cock thrumming in rhythm with her own beating heart. In the past Brennan had always thought that size did not matter, that it was more about the skill than physical proportions, but to feel Booth's hot, hard, enormous cock inside her, touching her the way no man had touched before, Brennan forgot all her previous theories because GOD! if Booth felt like this just by **being** there then the moment Booth would actually start moving she would die of ecstasy. But instead, when Booth started, she hold on to her life because this was heaven, the way how their bodies fit together perfectly, how Booth knew without words how to make Brennan moaning and whimpering under him. _

_Booth picked up the pace, pushing Brennan even closer to release - and then Booth took her nipple in his mouth, sucking it, and Brennan felt her world turning upside down as the power of her own orgasm ripped through her like tidal waves. Booth was there, strong, unwavering, riding through her orgasm with her, and when Brennan finally came down from her orgasmic heights she realised with a start that Booth was still hard and throbbing inside her. For a moment their eyes met and time seemed to stop - it was only their joined bodies and souls that existed in that certain space and time. Booth growled, a deep, animalistic sound deep from his throat that made Brennan wanting more of it, the feeling of Booth's hard, long length moving inside he, making her whole._

_"Permission to fire my phaser, Doctor?"_

_Brennan wasn't sure whether she said her permission aloud or not - what she did know was that Booth changed his angle a bit, now pumping feverishly, looking for release - because the power of her second orgasm that night, more powerful than the previous one and in synch with Booth's own release made her unable to think for a while. Once she regained her senses again Booth had cleaned them both up and pulled her close to his body, embracing her. There was no space for regrets, not now when she was finally in peace with herself and the universe._

_But once the morning had risen, all her fears had returned, leaving her ashamed of her blatant show of emotions so unlikely of her. It was not right, she could not be caught doing something like that again. She was a doctor, not some air-headed heroine of a cheap romance paperback. This was not acceptable, not at all. And thus Brennan made a promise she would never act like that nor talk about the incident. Booth tried to talk about it, at first, but after a while he stopped his inquiries. Strangely though, Booth still remained as her friend, after all that happened between them - a sure sign Booth was her true friend._

_Later on, when Brennan had thought the things through, she had understood something important. Anthropologically speaking what she and Booth had done was merely biological. Booth was a typical alpha male with a need to spread his seed, so to speak. From Brennan’s view, anthropologically speaking, the events from that faithful night were only natural. He was an alpha male, she was a willing female. So how come Brennan didn’t feel natural at all, even after that logical conclusion?_

* * *

The readings in their tricorders showed some unusual activity in the area. It was almost like someone had drained all the negative energy from that one point and replaced with the same amount of positive energy - a scientific impossibility, but yet again the tricorders gave the same results over and over again, no matter what they did.

"Mayflower to Booth, come in."

"Booth here."

"There's a huge sandstorm heading your way from north, it should… zzz.. crrrrrzz.. beepbeepbeep..."

"Mayflower, do you still read me? Mayflower?" Booth stared at the communicator frustrated, not believing his luck. They had no idea when the sandstorm would reach them or where they could find any cover as it seemed Mayflower was unable to contact them, let alone beam them aboard to safety.

"Follow me." 

"But the scene... I have not collected all the evidence yet!"

"It does not matter, Bones, look at the sky!"

While they had been bickering about following the appropriate procedures dark clouds had risen to the sky, blocking the sun completely. The wind had started to blow and they needed to find cover quickly before they were covered in sand - forever. It looked like the end of all hope - there were no buildings they could hide in, only scattered ruins and desert as far as the eye could see. Booth felt his chest tighten and a lump formed into his throat - was this it, the end, after all they have been through together. Booth had almost died on few occasions when trying to keep Brennan alive, and the same could be said about Brennan as well. But this... Booth prayed all the possible gods he knew, even the Romulan ones, for a miracle to happen, because it was the only things that could save them. Brennan looked at him, a determined look in her eyes. Booth knew she had already made peace with her life and was ready to go it that was what was meant to be. It did not mean she had given up already, no - it just meant she would fight till the end, but if that was it then she would accept it gracefully, without regrets.

"It was a pleasure to know you, Seeley."

"Likewise, Tempe, likewise."

And then they stood there, holding each other in their arms, and the last coherent thought in Booth's mind before the darkness consumed them was that he would not want to die with anyone else but Bones in his arms.

* * *

_Flashing lights, hushed voices, talking with language unknown to her._

_"Móbuázdy, wágócáá házdá! Deócáá nyuz dammu!"_

'I wonder where Booth is', _Brennan wondered briefly before she was carried away and laid down to something soft._

* * *

**  
_Stardate Unknown, Ceti Alpha III_   
**

"Nyda nu duunnu neecáh áyzyhhu, Ihlayzym? Lu wóy wád báhjáz dáá nuytad nááyh náhhu!"

"Aha leóhulty zyyda wyuha, Dóymum. Ótó dá, cemmuz lu lugaawad."

Booth woke up feeling disoriented. Every bone and muscle in his body was aching, his mouth was as dry as sandpaper and he felt nauseated. Booth couldn't understand a word that was spoken around him, but the voices did not sound hostile, only concerned. Booth turned his head a bit to see his surroundings: he seemed to be in some sort of large cave deep within the ground if the lack of daylight was any indication. There were however hundreds of white candles hanging in chandeliers in various shapes, illuminating the room he was in with a warm glow. Shadows danced on the walls, flickering with a life of their own and forming strange shapes on the dark walls. After watching the flickering candles for a while, completely mesmerised by them, Booth realised with a start he was completely naked under the thin sheet covering his body.

"Liwa, óhud luguyhha, Neecá háymum."

Booth blinked, staring at the humanoid woman standing in front of him. She had a skin white as a snow, huge, green eyes and pink, silky hair flowing down to her waist. The most stunning thing however was that the _woman? girl?_ stood there completely naked, and not at all ashamed of her body. Booth swallowed, trying his best not to stare at her naked breasts or her... ahem, private parts, as beautiful they were. If he were to stare at them too long, it could cause... certain reactions, and Booth had no idea how his hosts or captivators or whatever they were would react to it. Booth did not want to cause any trouble, not until he had found out where Brennan was and was she still alive.

"Aha deglá ám ejózduhu, Neecá háymum. Óhud cónu á nyuz, já zyunumuzi óm wálw á. Ámm á zeegum nyuleeduzi cecóyz dáá já ziccya bizdizza, ehjá ámá ceym dóduuni bààhe. Ámm á nymem ód dáá zyunumuzi, ãy Neecá háymum!"

With long, fluent strides the humanoid female stepped standing next to Booth, pulling the sheet covering his body away, leaving Booth laying there completely naked. Before Booth could protest, the girl was already sitting in his lap, taking his cock in her hand.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing! Get off me!”

“Zyrmu! Ámmá neecá háyzum óhhá! Lam uy demmu wyuda dáb ó jánnu.”

The girl stood up, eyes as big as plates, looking straight to the doorway on the other side of the room. Booth could not see the person standing there from the position he was in, but something in the tone that person’s voice told him the girl had done something wrong.

”Cihha Bugdde, duum myym ceym cazcud! Ámduuczy á jádduhun ádd óneedumy, neddá um wóymed wázdez dáá neecá háyzum cónuedd á.”

Before Booth even realised it, the girl had left the room, leaving him laying there stark naked – and somewhat aroused. Booth could feel the blush creeping up in his cheeks – this was not exactly the ideal situation for him when he had no idea where he was and if the humanoids they were with were hostile or not.

“It okay, it natural. Here, take this back.”

Another humanoid, this time male, had stepped next to Booth’s bed, holding out the thin sheet for Booth to cover himself again. The humanoid’s skin was as white as the female’s, but instead of green his eyes were more like turquoise and his hair was much shorter, even though as pink as the female’s hair had been. And like his female counterpart, the humanoid male was also completely naked and not at all ashamed of his body.

“Me Bugdde. You?”

“My name is Seeley. Where am I?”

“This is the _heóhá_. We live here. No live out the _heóhá_ , too dangerous. Are you from _Náá_?”

Booth shook his head, bewildered. He had no idea what Náá meant, or heóhá for that matter. However, this humanoid seemed to be friendly, so maybe he was not in any danger. But where was Temperance? And was she alright?

“The _máymum_ and _hábzy_ OK. She sleep. Want to see?”

* * *

Brennan woke up with a start. She was not exactly sure what had woken her so suddenly until she saw a humanoid female standing by her bed. It was then when all the events of the previous day came crashing down on her. There had been a sandstorm. Booth had been there with her – but where was he now? And more importantly, where was she? As far as she could remember, there had been some strange language spoken around her, a language she could not identify. It must have been some sort of forgotten language, because Brennan had no idea what it would be. Then again, her memories from the day and night before were vague at the best.

Brennan took a deep breath and started making her way out from the bed. Just then the female turned around and their eyes met for a second. Brennan barely suppressed her breath of shock – the female looked as if the flames of Hell itself were tormenting her, as the look in her eyes was filled with so much quilt and regret. Without a word the female vanished from the door, leaving Brennan alone with her thoughts.

“Zyrmu just wanted to say she is sorry.”

Another female, this time a bit older than the previous one had come to the room. Something about her made Brennan feel safe, even though she had no idea where she was or was she with friends or foes.

“Sorry for what? And who are you?”

The female smiled, and sat down to Brennan’s bed.

“My name is Hówyyzá. And Zyrmu is sorry for wanting to _bágyduhhá_ with your _nyuz_. An understandable mistake, considering his looks. He would have made a great _yza_ for Zyrmu’s _hábzy_.”

“What does _bágyduhhá_ mean?”

Hówyyzá was silent for a while, obviously lost in words. Brennan could do nothing but wait for her answer. The _nyuz_ probably meant Booth, and whatever Zyrmu had done, or tried to do, did not sound dangerous to Brennan. Maybe it was some sort of strange ritual these humanoids had for outsiders, or maybe it was something completely normal.

“It means... how do you say it... the time when _nyuz_ and _máymum_ became one and make _hábzy_. The little ones, you know?”

“She wanted to have sex with Booth? But why?”

“We are but a few remaining people of the once great nation of Zeónáháymum. We need fresh blood, as simple as that. With your _nyuz_ we could save our people from vanishing completely. But only if he’s willing.”

Brennan nodded. Of course, it made complete sense. A dying nation could only benefit from having a strong alpha male like Booth ”making _hábzy_ ” like Hówyyzá had said it. She saw nothing wrong with their thinking, on the contrary. Anthropologically speaking, this was the right solution. Booth would probably think otherwise, if Brennan knew him at all – he would probably think he was being used as a stud-horse. Which he was, but Brennan didn’t mind. It was all for the preservation of the species.

“It is fine by me. Can I talk to him, tell him what this means to you? He might be more willing to help you then if I can make him understand what has been asked of him?”

“Of course. Come.”

* * *

It felt as if they had been walking forever and ever before stopping next to a white wall. Booth stared at the wall, curious as how to continue as there did not seem to be any doors to go through.

“I can go no further. Not allowed. You wait here.”

With another word, Bugdde turned around and left Booth standing in the corridor before he could react. Booth didn’t have to wait for a long before a doorway opened into the wall beside him and an older female stepped out.

“My name is Hówyyzá. Please follow me.”

* * *

Hówyyzá had left the room in a hurry, leaving Brennan behind, confused. She could not understand why she was left alone or why Hówyyzá had left without saying a word.

“Bones are you alright? Thank God you are alive!”

Booth. Was alive and breathing and well. For a moment Brennan forgot that they were not alone and reached out for Booth who took a step closer and gathered her in his arms. It felt so safe and natural to be there with Booth – it was like they were the only people left in the world.

“I see you are happy to know your _máymum_ is alright. The _hábzy_ is fine as well.”

“What _hábzy_? What does it mean? Is Bones okay? Is there something wrong with her? Tell me!” Booth demanded, clearly worried about his friend’s well-being.

“Relax. Everything is okay. Your _hábzy_ , the little one she is carrying inside her, is fine” Hówyyzá laughed, even if her laughter sounded a bit forced. Neither Booth nor Brennan noticed though, as they had more important matters in their minds.

Booth’s eyes widened when he realised what was being said to him. Bones… pregnant? To whom? And then it hit Booth like a bucket of cold water – he was the father. That night two months ago... neither of them had paid any attention to birth control as they had been so consumed by their lust. And now... he was going to be a father again, to a child carried by his best friend. It could not... it would not be true, it could not work, they could not be parents together!

“Why did I not know about this? You could have told me”, Booth asked, still a bit shocked. How could Bones keep information like that from him was far beyond his mind.

“I... I had no idea how to tell you. I wanted to think things through first... of what I should do with the baby and us”, Brennan admitted, ashamed. She did not want Booth to know she had not had any intention of telling about the baby to Booth, not when it could destroy their precious friendship. She had, in fact, figured out a way to keep both the baby and their friendship – it was no secret she had been talking about artificial fertilisation before, so no one would suspect anything. If only they had not been that blasted sandstorm then everything would have gone like she had originally planned.

“Don’t worry, Bones, it will be alright”, Booth lied, not really knowing if it was going to be alright in the end. To find out he had been lied about such an important thing was like a punch in the gut so to speak. Even after all those years they had worked together she still could not trust him, and it hurt more than Booth had thought possible.

“I will leave you now. Talk to him about the _bágyduhhá_ , soon, please. We need his _zyunum_ ”, Hówyyzá said behind them, a strange look in her face. To her, it looked the matter with the two strangers wouldn’t be solved as easily as Ihlayzym had thought originally. Something had to be done, soon.

* * *

“How are things going with the strangers, Hówyyzá?”

“Not so well, Zymyccá. I do not believe the _nyuz_ will co-operate with us.”

“How about the _máymum_ and the _hábzy_ she is carrying? Will they be useful to us?”

Hówyyzá thought about it for a moment. She kind of liked the alien woman, as she had so quickly understood what was needed of her and her man, but if the man could not co-operate then the woman had to be sacrificed. The child however – if it were a boy then it would be more than useful for their purposes. A girl – not so much, but it was better than nothing.

“Yes Zymycccá, I believe they will be very useful to us. I’ll have Gómy to check the gender before we make decisions.”

* * *

“We need to talk, Booth.”

No answer. Brennan sighed, pushing her hair behind her ears. She tried to understand why Booth was so upset – so maybe she had not told him about the baby the moment she had found out, but she had not been lying to Booth. _‘But you would have, if given the chance’_ , her conscience reminded her.

“I have no intention of listening to your excuses. Not this time, Temperance”, Booth finally answered, his face like a stoic mask of indifference. It was still very hard for him to get around the fact Bones had kept their coming child a secret from him – how could she do something like that to him? Maybe their friendship was only important to him, and not her, even though he had always thought the opposite.

“There will be no excuses. There is something you should do for these people, something that will help them”, Brennan pleaded. She hoped that Booth would listen to her, as the alien nation was doomed to death without Booth’s help. If only Booth could see it her way... “They need you to mate with their women.”

Booth turned to face Brennan, shocked. “You must be kidding! Why… why would they want me to mate with their women? And what makes you think I will do so in the first place? That... that... that is completely insane!”

“Please, stop shouting Booth. Let me explain. These people... they are a dying nation. There are only a few of them left, and in order to avoid being inbred they need new blood so to speak. They need you to help them”, Brennan pleaded, trying to make Booth see what was really being asked of him. A mixture of regret, frustration and longing, all of them emotions she had trouble dealing with, welled up in Brennan’s chest as she gazed at Booth’s profile. All she was wishing was that she could sweep away all the invisible barriers between them, so that Booth would listen and accept what she had to say.

“Well they can find someone else. I. Am. Not. Going. To. Do. It!”, Booth shouted, angry. Who do they think they were, trying to force people to do things they were not willing to do in the first place? No matter what, Booth was not going to be some kind of stud-horse for these aliens. It was not right, in no circumstances.

"Seeley...", Brennan whispered, moving closer and touching Booth’s back lightly - ever so lightly - with her fingertips, waiting for the moment when her hand would be pushed away, but to her surprise nothing happened. Perhaps the touch was not entirely unwelcome despite Booth’s anger. The lack of resistance stoked Brennan’s resolve, and she moved closer to embrace Booth from behind. 

"Booth, listen to me," she pleaded. "Believe me, please. I know you are still angry for me because I kept our child a secret from you. Please understand, I never meant any harm for each of us. I.. I.. I just.. I still have no idea what to do, and I need you to be there for me. Please forgive me Seeley. Or at least, be there for our child, your child. Please, I wish that your anger will still let you see that your help is needed here, with this dying nation. Seeley, please!”

A slight flush bloomed in Booth's cheeks and spread across his nose, but he remained silent, and Brennan stroked his back gently, watching him with growing hope.

“Have you talked yet?”

Booth and Brennan turned to face Hówyyzá, who had returned with an old man. Unlike others, he was wearing a long, black cloak that draped to the cave floor and was holding what appeared to be a staff made of limestone.

“This is Gómy. He is our _hyuhaja_. He will now examine you to make sure the _hábzy_ is alright,” Hówyyzá said, looking straight at Brennan. Brennan nodded, taking a last glance to Booth. He was still angry, but somehow managed to keep his anger in control among the aliens. Just because Booth was still angry at Brennan, he still wanted to know about the wellbeing of their child.

Hówyyzá guided Brennan to sit on the edge of the bed and moved away. Gómy stepped forward, dropping his cloak to the floor. Beneath it he was as naked as the rest of the aliens Booth and Brennan had encountered so far. Hówyyzá started humming a strange little melody – it almost sounded like it was out of tune, but not quite. After a while the _hyuhaja_ started singing in their strange language:

_“Dóyzyym zá cyudó edemuymá_  
Lu cehcuwád nudzam láhcy   
Luyhhu demdunád dó nám   
Byumyhhu hóbed dó nám.” 

The same sentence was repeated couple of times, after which Hówyyzá started singing the same words along with Gómy. Their voices sang in unison for a while, until Gómy started a new sentence:

_“Geccá Buyccó Dácce deccá_  
Já Luyccó Buyccó Buhó cáz   
Nóhun nád myym egluymá   
Ó wád dóyz dumzá decumá.” 

Hówyyzá had moved sitting behind Brennan and was now embracing her from behind, still singing. Gómy raised his staff and touched Brennan’s belly with it, changing the sentence he was singing once again:

_“Nyda beytum dá cá má luyda ót óddy cáám?_  
Myym cáemyz ceccá   
Jó dá uy ózá á zá móym cewá yhhá   
Zum daldóy ydzuhhuum Geccá, bycce dácce deccá.” 

For a moment Gómy’s staff started glowing a bright, green light, illuminating the whole cave with its light. Then, as quickly as it had started, the singing stopped and Gómy left the room in an instance.

“What… what was that about?” Booth asked, a bit baffled of previous events. To him, it had looked like some shamanistic ritual instead of medical examination.

“We called the cave spirits to help the _hyuhaja_ in his job. The spirits came and showed him that everything was fine by lighting his staff”, Hówyyzá replied calmly.

“So green means everything is alright?” Brennan asked, out of curiosity.

“Yes it does.”

* * *

**  
_Stardate 2390.4, USS Mayflower_   
**

“What do you mean you have no idea where they are?”

“Lieutenant Montenegro, please calm down. We have a reason to believe that Special Officer Booth and Dr. Brennan are still somewhere in Ceti Alpha III as their communicators are still transmitting. However, for some strange reason we seem to be unable to locate them”, Chief Engineer Pegg replied patiently. He, like everyone else on the ship, was as worried about Booth and Brennan as their team was. Everyone on board had worked non-stop since the sandstorm in the planet surface had cut down all the communication to Booth and Brennan – it had been the longest 72 hours in his life. “We’re doing everything we can to get them back.”

Angela left from the bridge, feeling miserable. It was hard to have hope in times like these, but deep down in her heart she knew if there was even the slightest chance of Booth saving both him and Brennan, he had found it. Still, it was nerve-wracking just to sit and wait for news.

“Any news yet?”

“No Jack, no. But everyone is working around the clock to make sure we will find them”, Angela chirped, trying to sound more convinced than she really was. She was not about to lose hope, not just yet, but the longer it took them to locate Brennan and Booth the smaller were the chances of finding them alive from a deserted planet.

“They have a 0.01 to 7 000 000 chance to find something edible from Ceti Alpha III, if they survived from the sandstorm you know. It has to mean something, right?” Jack tried to cheer up Angela, failing miserably. For the life of him he just could not believe that Booth and Brennan could still be alive after all those hours.

“Thank you Jack. I still believe we will find them alive.”

“You know, that right there is the classical first step in the five stages of grief. Denial, that is, you know.”

Angela turned around to face the solemn looking Dr. Sweets in the doorway, looking at her with a grim expression. She was not denying anything, no, she was just not ready to give up the hope yet. Because the moment she stopped believing, all the hope would be lost.

* * *

**  
_Stardate Unknown, Ceti Alpha III_   
**

“The child is a boy.”

“Good. That means the child and the woman will both be useful to us. And the man?”

“Still refuses to co-operate. What do you want me to do with it?”

“Give him options. Either he does what is asked of him, or we perform the _ugydduhi_ to the woman.”

* * *

Booth felt like a caged animal trapped into a confined space. He had been going on circles, literally, around the small room he now shared with sleeping Brennan. Booth had no idea for how long they have been unconscious, let alone how long they have been at the mercy of those strange humanoids. If it were up to him, he would have took Brennan along and left the planet surface behind. But since the circumstances were what they were, Booth had no other choice but wait for the rescue – that is, if they ever were going to get rescued. They had no means of communicating back to the Mayflower and let others know they were still alive – chances were everyone on the Starship thought they were dead.

But Booth was not going to let the situation to bring him down. Not when there were other lives involved besides his, like the woman he loved and the child she was carrying. Booth stopped for a moment, a little scared about his sudden revelation. Did he love Brennan? Yes, he did. Perhaps longer he cared to admit to himself, but the emotion was real and genuine, just like his feelings had been towards Rebecca all those years ago. Did he believe they had a future together? Yes and no. Brennan was nothing like Rebecca, on the contrary, which made things somehow easier with her, compared to Rebecca. But because those two women were so different, it also made things somewhat more difficult to deal with. Booth could grudgingly admit he understood the logic behind Brennan’s actions, even if he disagreed with her opinion. What he was not able to understand was her emotions, or more likely the lack of them. Yes, he knew Brennan well enough to know she had never been and would never be able to express her emotions as freely as he was, being treated so poorly in her various foster homes. Knowing her that well though was no proof he was able to really understand her actions, even after all those years.

Hurried steps, along with raised voices, were approaching the little room Booth and Brennan were sharing. Something about the tone of the words had Booth feeling uneasy – the voices didn’t sound friendly at all. It was almost… as if they were arguing on something. The soldier in Booth made a quick look around the room, desperately looking for something to defend themselves with. The only objects in the room were the bed and the sheets, so Booth took a deep breath and placed himself between the door and Brennan. If nothing else, he still had his fists.

Moments later Gómy and Hówyyzá came in, followed by larger group of aliens. They looked ready to fight, as if they were counting on the fact that Booth would do anything to protect Brennan and the unborn baby. Gómy waved his limestone staff, and the next thing Booth knew was darkness and excruciating pain.

* * *

_It felt like eternity when he had not felt so sick. Waves of nausea took turns with sharp pain on his lower abdomen and chilling shivers. His whole body was shaking, and from time to time darkness took over. To Booth it felt as the clear moments of consciousness were getting even more shallow and painful – for a moment darkness seemed like a good option. At least then it would not hurt so much._

_“Please, you have to let him go! I’m begging you! Please…”_

_There was something important that Booth should have remembered. Something about… Temperance and a child. Not, not a child, a baby. Why was it so important?_

_“This is Starfleet! Please lower your weapons and surrender!”_

* * *

**  
_Stardate 2397.2, U.S.S Mayflower_   
**

Booth opened his eyes, confused. The last thing he remembered was pain, so much pain. And a cave, and aliens and…

“BONES!”

“Relax Booth, she’s alright. A bit tired, but from what I’ve understood it’s very common during the first trimester. Congratulations, by the way”, Sweets said, stepping in to the medbay. 

“Thanks, I guess. So… Bones told you?”

“Yes I did.”

Both men turned to look at Bones, who was lingering in the doorway, unsure whether she would be welcomed or not. Neither Booth or Brennan noticed Sweets slipping away, as they were so both so absorbed to each other’s company. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Brennan rushed to Booth’s bedside and into his arms.

Booth welcomed the embrace, vowing in his mind that he would never let anything happen to Brennan and their unborn child. If possible, the love he had only just admitted to himself was even stronger than it had been. 

Yes, love. Booth stiffened for a moment, wondering if Brennan would share his feelings. Or was he just a stud, used merely for impregnation? 

“I’m sorry, Seeley, I really am. I… I never meant to hurt you. If you want... I’d... I’d really like to raise our child with you…” Bones whispered, clinging to Booth as if she was drowning. “I love you so much it hurts, and it’s so confusing.”

_’She loves me, she loves me, she loves me…’_ Thoughts were running wild in Booth’s mind, and without a hesitation he did the only thing he could and kissed Brennan passionately. The kiss went on and on, until they both gasped for breath.

“I love you, too, Temperance. I would very much like to raise our child with you, if you let me” Booth whispered, unable to stop the tears spilling from his eyes. It was almost too good to be true. Yet, it was everything he had ever dreamed of, to have the woman he loved by his side, with the baby on the way.

The silence following his words was not the oppressive kind, far from it. They both knew that the future wouldn’t be easy or pain-free. What they both were sure of that whatever would happen, they would have each other. For eternity.


End file.
